New Beginnings
by Jessica12357
Summary: A new girl moves to Reef City for a new life, giving Lenny a chance at romance. Listed rating is pending.
1. Jessica

Hi everyone! I had written a Shark Tale Fan Fic before called "Material Girl", featuring Lola, but I eventually got bored with it because no one reviewed it so I deleted it. :~( So I decided to write a new one with an OC, whom is basically a fish loosley based off of me (hence her name is Jessica, too), except for her age, species, and religion. I have a crush on Lenny, so I want him to have someone of his own, and that's where our story begins.

Note: The city I came up with has nothing to do with Spongebob because it was the only other thing that sounded right with city. But anyways, on with ze story.

...

I looked around one last time at my bedroom, sighing in angst. It would be the last I would see these pink walls and coral dresser. Why? I work as an entertainment journalist for the _Shell City Times_, or at least I was before they had to let me go due to "monetary issues." I guess that's their way of saying, "We like you, but we want to spend our clams on someone more experienced." Now accumulate that with the rising cost of living, and in a clamshell I need to find somewhere else to live.

Oops. I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. An introduction is probably necessary. My name is Jessica Finilli, and I'm a 20 year old native of Shell City, another fish-inhabited city a considerable 20 miles from the more prominent Reef City. I enjoy cooking, painting, having fun with friends, and going to church. Something that may surprise you is the identity of my older sister: Lola. But I promise to God that we are nothing, I repeat **NOTHING** alike!

While I enjoy the occasional gift or two, Lola is quite a rapacious, materialistic girl. Silk, jewels, perfume, if it's worth a lot and it makes _her _look good, she wants it. To make matters worse, Lola doesn't work to purchase these fine luxuries. Instead she flirts with rich guys ready to shower her with expensive gifts. This wouldn't be nearly as successful if my sister wasn't so naturally gorgeous. Big, sexy lips. Seducing eyes. Long, glittering hair, and a perfectly curved figure. My sister has all these and more.

Not only are our personalities different, there's also a glaring difference between our appearance. We do have the same build per se, but our coloring is impeccably contrasting. While she's mostly tan and red, I'm mostly purple with green stripes on my body, tail, and fins. In fact, my fins are completely green. My hair is also colored purple with red stripes. In addition, I wear **glasses. **Apparently just because I have optical corrections it's a turn off to male fish, along with my extensive vocabulary which you might have noticed.

I'm sorry I'm getting so off the subject, but I don't want anyone to think I'm a gold digger like Lola. Anyways, since I can no longer afford to live in Shell City, I've decided to move to Reef City. My father had been in good relations with a puffer fish named Sykes there who co-owns a whale wash with another fish named...what was his name? Oliver? Orson? Eh, I can't remember. Something with an O. But the point is I called him a few days ago and he's willing to give me a job there, especially considering the circumstances. To make a long, sad story short, my father is...well, not here anymore.

So as I said, I gave my apartment one last look before placing the rest of my things in my nondescript suitcase and departing towards the station, my heart filling with both the thrill of starting a new life and the grief of leaving an old one. On my way, I passed by many fish, all the different colors, and wondered if any of them were going through the emotions passing me. I fingered the small cross hanging around my neck Dad had given me at my Confirmation (we Finillis are strongly Catholic), and it brought me some reassurance, and for moment I thought I almost heard his voice.

I was not as tense as I hopped onto the whale heading for Reef City, clutching my suitcase in my fin.

When I arrived in Reef City, I could not help but gape at its huge size. Electronic billboards flash advertisements of well-known products like Coral Cola as millions of different fish swim by me. Small family shops selling flowers and other simple goods are strikingly contrasting to the towering office buildings and department stores right next door. Gee, I don't think Shell City had as many colors in its population than this one.

What worried me the most was the ominous presence of a few sharks nearby, no doubt from the mob. The Shark Mob was known to pass through Reef City from time to time, one of the reasons Shell City inhabitants rarely travel there for reasons besides business. I prayed silently I'd be fine around them, though I couldn't help but still worry.

Just as I was trying to find a decent place to stay, I heard a familiar voice behind me. "Jessica?" I turned around, and you wouldn't believe in a million years who it was.

My sister Lola.

...

A/N: Well readers, that's the first chapter so far! I'm not sure whether this story is going to stay K+ or not, but we shall soon see. Yes, I know fish don't actually have hair, but that's just what they refer it as.


	2. A New Lola

I tried to swim away as fast I could, but Lola caught up with me.

"Baby sister! It's been so long since I've seen you!" she gushed, almost hugging the life out of me. I pushed her away as discreetly as I could.

"Oh Lola, what a surprise!" I said, trying to sound excited. "Um-what are you doing here?"

Lola laughed. "I live here, remember? But I thought you lived in Shell City?"

I shrugged, "I got laid off. Besides, it's too expensive." Lola's jovial attitude was starting to make me curious to the point I was wondering about its sincerity.

"Ohh, that's a shame," she said. "So where are you heading now?"

"I was going to get a job at the Whale Wash, but after that I need a place to board." Something strange occured in Lola's face for a second, like she was receiving a bad memory, but the next second it was gone.

"Why don't you stay with me at my place?" she suggested.

"You'd really do that?" I said suspiciously. She placed her fin around my shoulder.

"Of course! You're my little sister, after all, Jess. It's the least I can do since I've been so unsupportive in the past." Unsupportive wasn't exactly the word I had in mind, but Lola seemed eager.

"Well, I guess I could for a while," I replied. I followed her further into the city to a high-rise. It wasn't dirty and dilapidated like an apartment building usually is. In fact, this was was a bit more for the upper class than my old apartment, although I know Lola wasn't the richest fish in the reef. (Obviously neither am I.) But her more advanced style of living made me a bit...well, uncomfortable. Not that I didn't appreciated the finer things in life occasionally. It was the wonder of how Lola made enough to stay here. "Lola, may I ask you something?" I spoke up after a while.

"Certainly," she said, taking my suitcase inside for me.

"How exactly do you afford this higher standard of living?" I inquired. Lola laughed.

"I know what you're thinking. You think I mooched some rich fish of his clams to be here, didn't you?"

"Umm...yes, actually."

"Well, Jess, I've been thinking about it, and the whole gold digger thing isn't really for me anymore."

I looked at her with intense curiosity. "It isn't?" She shook her head.

"It eventually got old," Lola continued, opening a Clampagne bottle for her and a Coral Cola for me (I wasn't really used to drinking except Communion). "One day I just decided I had to rethink myself a little, and so I got myself an occupation and now I'm living honestly."

I sipped the bottle for a minute and contemplated on this. Lola's eyes didn't spell out any contempt and chicanery, so I decided to give her the benefit of a doubt. She _was _my sister, after all. "So what do you do?" I asked.

Lola hesitated before mumbling something I couldn't hear.

"What? I didn't hear you."

"Showgirl," she said quickly. I had to admit that seemed like something she would do, so I just nodded. "You know, my friends, Yvonne and Esme, and I are having a show tonight at the Clam Bar. Would you like to come?"

"Sure," I said. "I don't have anything better to do."

"Great!" she grinned. "Let me take your bags to your room. What's mine is yours, so make yourself at home." She swam off towards the other bedroom, my suitcase in one fin and her drink in the other. I couldn't help but be amazed at my sister. Just when you think you know someone, they suddenly change on you.

I just hoped the change would stay.

...

Sorry it took me this long to publish it, but I've been really busy. Also I apologize if a lot didn't happen in this story, but I promise the romance will be commenced in the next chapter.


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